If your medical group still relies on paper superbills, like 54% of physician practices recently reported, what does that mean come October 1, 2015? Will the transition to the more complex and greater number of ICD-10 codes make all paper superbills a thing of the past?

Some predict yes. The simplicity of the traditional superbill — which allows providers to check off the most common ICD-9 codes quickly on one sheet of paper — gets more complicated quickly with ICD-10 codes. One estimate reported by Government Health IT is ICD-10 code specificity could take almost 5 times more space on a page– meaning the front and back of a paper superbill becomes 9 – 10 pages after October 1st. This complexity alone might prompt many practices to drop their paper superbills. Continue Reading…

Recent cybersecurity events triggered the loss of patient, financial or organizational data for about 1 in 5 healthcare organizations, a new survey reveals.

If you feel overwhelmed by the possibility of a future data breach, you’re not alone. Turns out 42% of healthcare leaders and information security officers believe there are too many emerging and new threats to track them all, according to the 2015 HIMSS Cybersecurity Survey.

“The recent breaches in the healthcare industry have been a wake-up call that patient and other data are valuable targets and healthcare organizations need a laser focus on cybersecurity threats,” says Lisa Gallagher, HIMSS Vice President of Technology Solutions.

Since 2003, legislators in 33 states have passed workers’ comp laws that reduce benefits or make it more difficult for those with certain injuries and diseases to qualify for them.

In 37 states, workers can’t pick their own doctor or are restricted to a list provided by their employers.

For those patients who are able to access workers’ comp benefits, the amounts have been reduced by as much as 65%.

A report by ProPublicaand National Public Radio has found that access to workers’ compensation benefits has been significantly restricted in a large majority of the United States. For those patients who are able to access workers’ comp benefits, the amounts have been reduced by as much as 65%.

Since Affordable Care Act enrollment began, about 17 million more Americans gained insurance coverage, according to Rand Corporation research. This figure includes more than 11 million people who signed up through the federal and state insurance exchanges, and others with new employee-sponsored health coverage.

If you’re looking to expand your practice but don’t see an influx of these new patients, don’t despair. Try taking the following five small, low-cost steps. With any luck, they’ll help you increase your patient base without expending too much effort.

Tip #1: Earn Some Positive Reviews

New avenues for patients to post online reviews of physicians emerge all the time: ZocDoc, Healthgrades, Angie’s List… even Yelp. Today’s tech-savvy consumers will likely check out your reviews before becoming your patients, so see what patients wrote about you on these sites and others.

Even though school’s out for summer, maybe it’s the right time for physicians to consider continuing their education. We know what you’re thinking. Doctors already go through enough schooling. But in today’s uncertain health care environment, a physician MBA can be a worthwhile investment.

When we first investigated the potential MBA advantages for doctors in 2013, we asked MD/MBA student Abrahan Nunes what he hoped to gain. “Since business training is about learning to measure and enhance value delivery, the business-trained physician can apply those principles to his or her practice and the broader profession.”

Now that he’s completed his degree, what’s the advice from Abraham J. Nunes, MD, MBA?

If you’re like most healthcare providers, you’re already super busy. Time remains a precious commodity as you seek to treat patients efficiently without compromising outcomes or quality of care.

So how do you effectively combat time constraints coming from increased documentation, ever-changing regulation requirements and the estimated 17 million new patients the Affordable Care Act added to the U.S. healthcare system?

No one is saying it’s easy, but consider starting with these five time management tips for healthcare providers: